tried early on to start it without the filter, just in case, even though it didn't look clogged and wasn't wet - good one though. Thanks! still been too sick to get into it, but gather worst case I'll need to do the head gasket...just hoping it'll get me to Napa for the special bit to pull the head

We lucked out with this car, really...decided it was the only luxury car I'd be able to wrench on myself, having done a full rebuild of a VR6, two VW swaps and...lots of other stuff to build up a mkII to 8:1 weight to power ratio, long story.

Anyway, We looked at ten others before finding this one, it had major work already done even though it was high miles, as mentioned, and the only one that'd been garaged. But, they wanted $5500 when it was only worth $4500, so passed....less than a year, maybe a year later, found it was up for sale by the person who paid $5500, but when we test drove it it kept stalling, and the lady was desperate to get something newer, fearfull of the money pit it might become, and offered to sell it for three grand, and that was about seven years ago. My now ex-wife doesn't like it anymore, but it's dependable, if a gas hog. I can't sell it without fixing it though, that just wouldn't be right. Ex is buying something on payments this w/e so maybe the head can get checked and shaved if it's not flat (I know it prolly needs one lifting rod, tho it's clattering stopped a month after the head gasket began leaking...and the pumpkin's kind of tired/loud, but plenty of life left in it...i could use it to get to interviews until i can afford a car...i'd hate this car tho, but "burgers count beach users").

of automotive maintenance and repair is flawed.

If I were you I would junk the car and look for a good used Chevette.

hahahahahahahahahahahaha

I'd ask for more of your thoughts, but just know I'm still chuckling

EDIT: you may have missed the part about being out of work two years, I'd planned on getting a junk yard head and going through it completely, jobbing out the machine work, then being able to swap in that good rebuilt head when replacing the head gasket, just as I'd always planned on replacing the rear end with a later model one...if that makes you feel any better. beggers can't be choosers, high mortgage then loss of income, no second car to get parts with...? hahahahaha

I'd be at a loss with a Chevette, having thought of them most of my life as being up on blocks more than they were on the ground, but personally I'd choose a car with better steering like a Lotus exige (or trying to make my own), but the ex-wife wants four doors that don't sound tinny (and being from a third world country, she's dreamed about land rover, mercedes or volvo...not my cup of tea, but again, with undiagnosed ADHD 49 years, I was never going to be able to buy her a new car, or afford the maintenance by a mechanic...we'll see where i go from here, I am getting better at focusing my dopamine in species appropriate ways now, hehehehe - better concentration, organization and goal setting)

I didn't engineer this depression, but those who did, did it effectively (capital spanking labor)

The reason I suggested to swap the engine is that they are not to expensive.
A rebuild head with new gaskets and probable a water pump will cost you more.

Las year I had suddenly problems with my 300SE (1989), loss of power, hard starting both on LPG and petrol. Since the cart is a real high mileage (400k mls) I just bought a good used complete engine for € 250,- from a 1991 car.

With the new engine noise is less, performance and fuel economy are up.
To get these results from repairing my old engine would have cost a lot more.

Rob

I have $1.70

hahahaha

literally

But, good news, I got a gig, short term, starts on Monday!
(my daughter's loaning me four days of train tickets, unless I get down and fix this beast)

we all work with what we have (that's why i tried making a jetta into a sports car before)

I do have a gasket set, luckily

- but I know where you're coming from about swapping the engine, it's just way beyond my resources right now (engine lift rental costs money, transporting an engine requires a working car)

Last year I Had to ride my old Yamaha for 2 weeks in November Looking for an engine and swapping it. Of course it was very cold and raining every day.

Luckily I found a good engine not to far away and the delivered or a very reasonable price.

Rob

I know that feeling, rode a small motorcycle for four years when I got my driving license - "having to" ride in the rain can be miserable, like camping with a broken tent, or how surfers describe getting stuck between sets of waves where nature keeps pounding them on the head.

I'm about to go work on the car...what's anybody want to bet it's the idle stabilizer valve? I'm about to see it that's the start and stop problem.

sprayed out the idle stabilizer valve (or whatever they call it on a mercedes), and the throat and flap of the air intake, wouldn't start right away but after a few minutes it did, and stayed lit until I stepped on the gas, re-lit right away and after 2-3 of these I was able to apply the gas and it stayed lit.

turned it off after five minutes, drained the radiator by removing the hose near the pet-cock, took a while for the draining emulsified to dwindle to a thread. re-attached the hose and added citric flush; ran that with water for about ten minutes, then the engine died...it would re-light but only for a couple of seconds. drained flush and added just water, but wouldn't re-light (for more than a second or two).

letting it sit and cool for a while. I left out a step (in my description), which was a first flush with comet liquid cleanser (only active ingredient citric acid), which also ran for ten minutes then died, but also blew a hole in the lower radiator hose (from radiator to water pump)... took out the thermostat, cleaned a little mayo off it, boiled it in pot of water, saw that it works okay, turned on the car with the water pump open, and saw the water pump's working okay also, noted liquid inside was like thin motor oil, added water till over-flowing and it looked less oily.

problem now seems to be shutting down after idling for ten minutes, will google the forum for possible causes, but guessing something to do with air flow when it gets warmed up.

???
anyway, my ride to the train station down the tubes
ezip scooter blew a capacitor in it's controller, so that's toast for now
at least i have money for the bus and train, but will have to walk a mile and a half to avoid taking two busses to get to the train, sucks. hehe

ex-wife bought a used Accord, so I get this one, and it's running! I have a car to drive to work! And, as much as I wish I had started yesterday (and could have if not for problems printing all their documentation at Kinko's), my start date's pushed out to next Monday, giving me time to sort the head gasket or at least the serpentine belt (old) and lower rad hose (so old it's failing).

The problems I had printing my employment docs were too varied and unsurmountable to be coincidence, on my way home from Kinko's I stopped at Mercedes and bought a replacement rad hose, got home and found the one I was replacing WOULD have failed either on the way there or on the way home...it's almost like the universe was telling me, 'don't drive to LA, here, I'll stop you from making that mistake.'

I know latex condoms fail with exposure to petroleum products, I wonder if the oil in the hoses is causing them to fail, or these are just too old. the hose clamp cut through like a razor blade. I need to replace that head gasket either way, even with two citrus washes there's oil build-up in the hoses still, but the car's no longer over-heating, so most has been flushed, or drained out.

ex-wife wanted to get something that would be dependable, and 'wouldn't kill her on gas,' then turns around and get's something with basically the same miles per gallon (16 mercedes, 19 v6 accord)...women. it is a really nice accord, gun metal grey!

EDIT: when I pulled the idle stabilizer (and that appears to have been the problem I was having in the OP, but having sprayed out the air metering flap and throat i'm not certain), I forgot to re-attach a three pin connector that goes to something under the air-metering flap - that was causing the car to stall after ten minutes.

this will be the last post.... Thank you Gentlemen, I'll fade back to the cheap seats, thanks for your help and for making me feel not so all alone in this world, keep doing the good work you do here - this forum is making a difference as do you...helping People...that's Good Work. And, I'll keep reading from here over other sources.